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| Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: March 2, 1979 |
Starring:
Barbara Baxley, Beau Bridges, Booth Colman, Gail Strickland, John Calvin, Morgan Paull, Pat Hingle, Robert Broyles, Ron Leibman, Sally Field
Summary:
A young single mother and textile worker (Sally Field) agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
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This is Sally Field's movie. Her performance -
hyperbole completely aside - is peerless, one of the major achievements
by an actress in the movies of any place and of any time. Reuben tells
Norma Rae that when he wants a smart, loud, profane, sloppy, hardworking
woman he'll call on her. From now on, when directors want legerdemain
that becomes art, they're going to call on Sally Field.[10 Mar 1979]
Norma Rae is not a bad film, just one that made me angry for what it might have been. Imagine another, more skillful actor, say Dustin Hoffman or Al Pacino, in Leibman's part; then strip away some of the more broadly drawn scenes, and Norma Rae could have been yet another fine film by director Martin Ritt ("Hud," "Sounder," and "Conrack"). [2 March 1979, p.4-12]
Field comes off best under the circumstances - she has real spirit - but Leibman, too eager to be liked, hits all the stereotypes on the head and Bridges is saddled with an underwritten, utterly inexplicable character. What Norma Rae really tells us is that Hollywood is still capable of making condescending paeans to the "little people" with all the phoniness of yesteryear. [5 March 1979, p.105]
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